The Lone Bellow with Aoife O'Donovan to Perform at Capitol Theatre, 4/3

The Lone Bellow call their sound "Brooklyn country music," but there are blues, gospel, folk, soul, and indie-style rock in the mix too. Zach Williams, The Lone Bellow's lead singer and principal songwriter, can pinpoint just about exactly when the Brooklyn-based group serendipitously willed itself into being. It was around 9 a.m. one morning in 2010, at Dizzy's Diner in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where the Lone Bellow's guitarist and Williams' old friend, Brian Elmquist, was working a shift. Williams, up to then performing as a solo artist, needed a place to try out some new songs; for a scuffling artist, the diner was as good as any rehearsal space. He asked fellow singer Kanene Pipkin, who had just returned to New York City from living in Beijing, to meet them at the diner. The trio did more than merely jam; that fateful morning they became the Lone Bellow.

The trio's self-titled debut album is exuberant in its playing and welcoming in its attitude with swelling three-part harmonies and rousing group-sung choruses. Indeed, there is a strong familial feel to The Lone Bellow, a recurring theme of inclusiveness.

Along with the core group of Williams, Pipkin and Elmquist, The Lone Bellow's recording and touring ensemble now includes Ben Mars on bass; Brian Murphy on keyboards; Matt Knapp on lap steel and electric guitar; Jason Pipkin on banjo and mandolin; and Brian Griffin on drums.

Aoife O'Donovan's album Fossils has hardly been a glacial affair, but it has spent rather more than a decade forming about in her creative subconscious. It was time well spent, for she's crafted a beautiful, timeless record, the natural evolution of an accomplished singer and songwriter. Most of O'Donovan's songs are character-driven, and many of them resemble portions of the folk traditions in which she was raised. The stunning versatility and appeal of her voice brought her to the attention of some of the most eminent names in music and led to collaborations across a wide variety of genres with everyone from Alison Krauss to Dave Douglas, along with a role as vocalist on the Grammy-winning Goat Rodeo Sessions alongside Chris Thile, Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Stuart Duncan.

Tickets are $24.00 and go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 10:00 a.m. Tickets may be purchased online at www.StrandCapitol.org, by calling the Strand-Capitol box office at 717-846-1111, or at the door the evening of the show.